Young Catholics across Sydney are being invited to begin preparing for the next World Youth Day, with the Archdiocese of Sydney officially opening expressions of interest for a pilgrimage to Seoul, South Korea, in 2027.
The international gathering of young Catholics, expected to attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world, will take place from 3-8 August 2027 under the theme, “Take courage! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
The archdiocese is offering three pilgrimage pathways: a direct journey to South Korea, a pilgrimage via Japan, and a pilgrimage incorporating a mission or immersion experience before the week-long festival in Seoul.
World Youth Day was established by St John Paul II in 1985 and has become the largest regular gathering of Catholic youth in the world.
Previous events have drawn crowds of up to more than a million pilgrims.
The Seoul gathering will be the first World Youth Day held in Asia since Manila in 1995, the first to take place in South Korea, and the first in a non-Christian country.
It will also be the first World Youth Day celebrated under Pope Leo XIV.
Sydney has a special connection to the event, having hosted World Youth Day in 2008.
The gathering brought Pope Benedict XVI to Australia and attracted hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, leaving a lasting legacy across the archdiocese.
The episcopal vicar for evangelisation Bishop Richard Umbers encouraged young Catholics to consider making the pilgrimage.
“Each time there is a World Youth Day the number of our pilgrims increases, which is amazing.
“We get multiple busloads of young people, and you see them afterwards in Sydney, involved in youth groups and in parishes, especially young teachers. And then you can see an uptick in positive reactions to the faith among young people because their teachers are energised.
“I would really love, with the next World Youth Day being hosted to close to us, that we go in grand style with thousands of pilgrims joining the world’s young Catholics in South Korea.”
The pilgrimage is also being shaped by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP’s vision of bringing together young Catholics from across the archdiocese through a united journey of faith.
The initiative aims to foster greater collaboration between agencies, university chaplaincies, Sydney Catholic Youth, parishes and Sydney Catholic Schools, creating opportunities for young people from different communities to prepare, travel and celebrate together.
“World Youth Day has provided countless opportunities for young people to grow in authentic Catholic community and, most importantly, in their relationship with Christ,” said university chaplaincy coordinator Natalie Ambrose.
“As university chaplaincies, our mission is to journey with students through intentional accompaniment. We have consistently found that participating in World Youth Day deepens this mission in a profound way.
“Time and again, we witness students grow in faith and community, two essential pillars of the Christian life.
“We have seen countless students discern their vocation to religious life, the priesthood, and marriage.
“We have witnessed life-changing questions being asked and answered during the space of a WYD pilgrimage and beyond.
“There is something powerful about stepping away from the usual pressures and distractions of daily life and entering a rhythm of prayer and encounter.”
Sydney Catholic Youth team leader Campbell Evans said World Youth Day provides a unique opportunity to strengthen bonds across the local church while connecting Sydney pilgrims with the universal church.
“World Youth Day is about more than a week overseas. It’s a chance for young people from every corner of the archdiocese to journey together in faith, build lasting friendships and experience the church on a global scale,” he said.
“As we look ahead to World Youth Day Seoul and then the International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney in 2028, this pilgrimage will help bring together students, parishioners, young professionals and university students as one Catholic community.”
Expression of interest registration for the Sydney pilgrimages is available via the QR codes on the flyer.
For further information please contact Bishop Umbers’ office at bishop.umberoffice@sydneycatholic.org.
Organisers say registering interest now will ensure young people receive updates on pilgrimage packages, and formation opportunities as planning progresses.
